


Mother Mila's Gifts

by PiousMage



Series: Fire Emblem Trans Week 2020 [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: "genny is a kinnie" is a fun implication i make here, Flower Crowns, Flowers, Gen, trans!Genny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25406191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiousMage/pseuds/PiousMage
Summary: Genny has always loved to read about heroines and princesses. They helped her figure out who she was. Now, at the outset of her own fantastical adventure, she takes her place in Celica's story.But they've gotta make flower crowns first. Mae says so.
Series: Fire Emblem Trans Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1833706
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13
Collections: Fire Emblem Trans Week 2020!





	Mother Mila's Gifts

When she was little, books were her escape.

It's not that her life in the priory was particularly bad. It wasn't even that lonely, despite the fact that it took fifteen years before she ever left the island. No, her friends were always good company. What she had always wanted was a break from the routine, a chance to experience something that was not modest monastery life.

There was something else, too. The stories she was drawn to as a child always featured dashing heroines and beautiful princesses. She wanted to be like them, though they felt so far out of reach. What she felt was a sense of longing, not necessarily to be _with_ these characters (although that was certainly true in some cases) but to be _like_ them. Her favorite character wasn't even a main character, which was probably appropriate. It was the character that reminded her of herself the most. Her name was Genny, and she quietly supported her friends as they fought a great evil.

When she realized that there was one way she really could be like all her favorite heroines and princesses, that was the name she took. Around that time, she started writing stories of her own. Most of her writings were short stories she wouldn't be caught dead showing anyone. She had one longer story that went unfinished, about a meek young woman who leaves her sheltered life behind in order to travel the world. It was around the time she got to the part about traveling the world that she realized she had no way to accurately describe places that were not a priory on a small island.

Either way, she'd have to shelve her work for a bit. Her three closest friends were all preparing to leave the island together, to travel to the Zofian mainland. The past few harvests in Zofia had been brutal, and her friend Celica believed that a pilgrimage in Mother Mila's name would at the very least reveal why crops were withering throughout the land. Accompanying her was the dynamic duo of Boey and Mae, two mages who had known each other since forever and constantly gave each other a hard time about it. Their bickering had always made Genny laugh.

She'd already resigned herself to staying home when Celica offered to take her along. "As much as I would like to believe no harm will come to us in our journey," Celica had said, "I must acknowledge the harsh truth of the world outside the walls of the priory. Out of all of us, Genny, you are the most capable healer. If you will travel with us, we will welcome your strength."

Genny had cried only a little bit at all that. She had thrown herself into her studies of white magic, as no weapon felt quite right in her hands, and the idea of using magic to harm others made her uneasy. Still, she felt as if there were better healers in the priory, more experienced ones.

"Please, Genny. Do not think of yourself in terms of how useful you are. You are our friend. We would welcome your presence no matter what." Celica's way with words had won the day again. She would truly make a fine queen someday.

The day before their departure, Mae had an idea that she said would bring them good fortune on their journey. "It's been so stressful getting everything ready! We need to take some time to relax. And I have the perfect way!"

"You think the day before our departure is a time to relax?" Boey shot back.

"Maybe you'd understand if you'd ever relaxed a day in your life! If you want to spend today taking everything out of your bag and putting it back in like five times, be my guest." She put her hands on her hips. "This activity is not mandatory."

"Will you at least tell us what this 'activity' is?" He used scare quotes.

Mae punched his shoulder. "We are going to be making flower crowns, Boey. Flowers are one of Mother Mila's many gifts to us. Naturally, if we make some flower crowns before we set out on this super-important journey, we'll have good fortune."

Boey rubbed his arm. "Why do I feel like you just want to make flower crowns?"

"I'll admit that's part of it." Mae folded her arms. "But you can't tell me I'm wrong!"

"I think it's a fine idea," Celica said, clapping her hands together. "Perhaps we should make them for each other?"

"Ah!" Mae exclaimed. "That way they won't only be gifts from the goddess, they'll be gifts from friends too!" She pumped a fist in the air. "Layers!"

If Boey hadn't been fully sold on it, he was at least willing to play along now. And Genny had been excited for the idea since the start. She had actually made a few flower crowns in her time at the priory, but she had always been too anxious to give them to any of her friends. Now, she had a perfect opportunity to practice her skills and give a gift to someone she admired.

The four friends walked out to the fields of Novis and went to work. Boey had clearly never done this before--none of the flowers he picked seemed to go together at all, which everyone knew because Mae loudly reminded him of that fact often. Mae, on the other hand, seemed to be going for quantity over quality. Celica went about her work quietly, picking flowers with the same red hue as her hair. Genny recognized them as poppies. As for her, she was picking daisies that she thought would complement Boey's shock of white hair nicely.

When the time came to start stringing them together, both Boey and Mae were running into their own issues. Boey just couldn't seem to get it right, and they fell apart as soon as he thought he'd finished. Mae was staring at the entire garden's worth of flowers she'd picked, utterly unable to pick a starting point. Occasionally, they'd trade barbs with one another. Genny was watching them and laughing when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Celica's. "They're quite the combination, aren't they?"

Genny smiled. "I think I'd hate them if I wasn't so used to it."

At this, Celica erupted into laughter that actually silenced Mae and Boey. She wiped a tear from her eye as she handed a crown of poppies to Genny. "I hope you like it. I've never done anything like this before."

Genny handed it back, speechless for a moment. "It's beautiful, Celica. Thank you so much. Will you...?" She bowed her head.

"Of course. I crown you Princess Genny," she declared, setting the crown gently on Genny's head. "Long may you live."

It felt like something pulled straight out of one of her books. Her heart swelled, both out of affection for her friend and a sense of affirmation she'd never really felt before. When she raised her head, there were tears in her eyes.

Celica reached her hand out and gently wiped some of them away. "My gratitude to you is endless, for agreeing to come with me on this journey." She turned to where Boey and Mae were staring at the two of them. "All of you. I hope we can continue to enjoy many days like this as we travel the world."

Her words seemed to help Boey and Mae find their inspirations. After some trial and error, Boey finally got a crown that was able to hold it together, although it was a visually jarring mix of several flowers of different shapes and colors. He gave it to Mae, because he thought it would be a good fit for someone so unpredictable.

Though she never admitted it (outside of thanking him, which was a rarity), she quite liked it. The crown she made ended up being a collection of multi-colored lilies that she believed suited Celica quite nicely. It did.

Genny tenderly set her crown on Boey's head, and as she stepped back she heard someone whistle.

"I'll be damned." It was Mae. "You made him look cute, Genny. You really are a miracle worker."

Their laughter echoed into the approaching dusk, and they were able to lay their heads down that night without worry or anxiety about the journey ahead.


End file.
